


Meet the Parents

by tobeconspicuous



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Meet the Family, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21847099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeconspicuous/pseuds/tobeconspicuous
Summary: “I cannot believe that I’m suggesting this, but if you can’t find anyone else I would be willing to assist.”Carisi’s head snapped up. “Wait, really?”“I know exactly how daunting coming out to your family is, the least I can do is be there for moral support.”
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 61





	Meet the Parents

**Author's Note:**

> I always felt this was too long for my drabble collection so posting it as a one shot for the world to enjoy.
> 
> Many thanks to AHumanFemale & Robin Hood (Kjack89), for their wonderful support, and for betaing.

_Tap tap tap tap tap._

  
Rafael was going to throttle Carisi if he didn’t stop tapping the pen against the desk. It was late and Carisi had dropped by the office with take out and an offer to help go through depositions. Rafael was initially grateful, but now he was stuck with a clearly agitated and quite possibly nervous detective. The tapping of the pen, the jiggling of his knee, all pointed maneuvers to drive the prosecutor insane. And then his phone rang.

  
“Hi Ma,” he began, his Staten Island accent particularly grating. “I’m still at the office. No Ma. I have no plans on joining you all for lunch on Sunday.”

  
Rafael rolled his eyes and went back to highlighting the depositions on his desk. Carisi, who was continuing his overtly loud conversation with his mother, was making it too easy for Rafael to eavesdrop.

  
“I’m sure she’s a nice girl Ma but I’m not interested,” Carisi paused as his mother continued to squawk down the phone at him. “I like men Ma, I’m not interested in meeting women.”

  
Rafael tried to look as uninterested as possible while filing that personal piece of information away. Yes Carisi was brash and hot tempered, but he also looked quite delectable in his newly fitted suits and well... Rafael wasn’t blind.

  
“No Ma, I won’t just ‘give her a go’,” Carisi sighed, slumping back into the couch. “Look Ma, my boyfriend doesn’t appreciate you setting me up all the time.”

  
Rafael tried to ignore the twinge of disappointment he felt. It didn’t surprise him that Carisi could be considered quite the catch by some people.

  
“It’s new, Ma,” Carisi looked more and more distraught as each second passed. “I didn’t think you would want to meet him— oh you do? Uh, I’ll need to check with him. Tonight? Look Ma I’ve got to go, I’ll ask him alright? Bye.”

  
As Carisi hung up on his mother the office filled with an especially awkward silence. Rafael slowly looked up to see the blond looking suitably stricken at the prospect of a significant other meeting the parents. Rafael couldn’t help but take a bite.

  
“How new is new if you’re that terrified for your partner to meet your family?”

  
Carisi did nothing to hide how red his face was getting. “Non-existent?”

  
“I would say I expect more from you, Carisi—”

  
“Save it counselor, I’m embarrassed enough already.”

  
Rafael felt some pity for the younger man, since he had been in a similar situation in his youth. His own family had never quite come to terms with his sexuality so he knew exactly what Carisi was going through. A stray thought crossed Rafael’s mind and before he knew it an idea emerged.

  
“I cannot believe that I’m suggesting this, but if you can’t find anyone else I would be willing to assist.”

  
Carisi’s head snapped up. “Wait, really?”

  
Rafael could barely believe it himself. “I know exactly how daunting coming out to your family is, the least I can do is be there for moral support.”

  
“I don’t know what to say,” Carisi murmured, his jaw slack.

  
“A bottle of Glenfiddich wouldn’t go amiss,” Rafael smirked, “But a thank you would suffice.”

  
A wide smile broke across the detective’s face. “Thanks, Counselor.”

  
Rafael nodded. “You’re welcome. Now let’s get back to these depositions.”

  
–

  
The Carisi family house looked surprisingly unremarkable. Rafael had expected something loud and brash that may have explained the detective’s initial behavior, but instead he was greeted by a slightly worn, well-loved looking house.

  
Sonny walked him up to the front door and opened it straight away without knocking. He dragged Rafael inside announcing their presence with a shout, “Everyone, Rafael and I are here.”

  
Rafael had formally met Tessa and Dominick Snr only hours before in front of their church before Mass. Even though he hadn’t been in years the service was very familiar. Carisi’s parents of course were unimpressed, each hesitation or fumble Rafael had only furthered their opinion that their son shouldn’t be dating a man, let alone one ten years older. If Rafael was actually dating Carisi he probably would have been more offended by the entire situation, but currently he just found it amusing.

  
After his initial shout was met with silence, Carisi tried again.

  
“Alright, alright you don’t have to yell.” Tessa Carisi was blonde haired and blue eyed, and clearly annoyed at her son. “Make yourself useful and set the table.”

  
Carisi flushed red and gestured for Rafael to follow him out of the entrance way, through the living room and into a large dining area. He pulled out the crockery and passed it to Rafael, gesturing to where everything needed to go. They worked in comfortable silence, Carisi only stopping to greet each family member as they walked in the room.

  
Eventually the room was filled with people, hot food, and of course wine. The lunch itself was quiet at first, once again surprising Rafael, the conversation kept to gossiping about which neighbors were doing what. A complete contradiction to the person Rafael saw almost daily.

  
Bella was the first to break the uncomfortable almost silence. “I just knew there was something going on between you two!”

  
“Oh?” Rafael stopped eating and raised his gaze to meet the youngest Carisi’s.

  
“He’s always gushing about you.” the words eagerly spilled from her mouth. “Barba did this and Barba did that. Did you see Barba’s press conference the other day?”

  
“Bells!” Carisi hissed, his face flushing pink.

  
Rafael felt his mouth curl into a smirk. “No Sonny, I want to hear what you’ve been saying about me.”

  
“He calls me at least once a week to tell me how impressive this or that legal maneuver was,” Bella continued, ignoring her bright red brother.

  
Teresa couldn’t help but join in. “Back when he first started he dragged me along to watch you in court,” she said with a smirk. “He wanted me to dress him like you.”

  
“Just kill me now,” Carisi groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

  
“That’s enough girls,” Dominick Sr. hissed.

“I’m sure Sonny doesn’t appreciate you gossiping about his— er—”

  
A scowl crossed Bella’s face, “Boyfriend? Partner? Significant other.”

  
“Friend,” Dominick settled on.

  
“We were a bit worried,” Gina quietly interrupted. “But we were glad to hear that you’re together now.”

  
Rafael turned to look at Carisi, he was completely purple and had almost folded himself in half with his hands and head resting on the table. Rafael reached over and rubbed gentle circles on the other man’s back. The resulting moan that escaped Carisi’s mouth made Rafael pause for a second before running his hand down Carisi’s arm and talking the younger man’s hand in his.

  
“I’m glad too,” Even though Rafael was pointedly looking at Carisi the truthfulness of his own words surprised him. Carisi flushed red and dragged Rafael’s hand beneath the table, but he didn’t let go, and neither did Rafael.

  
The rest of lunch passed in the same awkward silence and stilted conversation that had haunted the conversation previously. Every now and then when one of the Carisi elders shot the detective a dark look Rafael would squeeze the younger man’s hand causing Carisi to flush red.

  
Eventually the debacle came to an end, Rafael politely shook Tessa and Dominick Sr’s hands. “Thank you for the invitation. Maybe you’ll allow me to attend again sometime.”

  
Tessa smiled politely while Dominick said a brief thanks before both of them turned to Carisi and started to whisper frantically at him. Rafael turned away only to find hims of face to face with Tommy.

  
“You really are good for him,” Tommy sounded genuine. “It’s been rough for him recently, I’m glad he has you to talk to.”

  
Rafael thanked Tommy for his kind words, and waited for Carisi to finish thanking his siblings. Once again Rafael grabbed the detective’s hand with his own and wound their fingers together. They walked to the car slowly, shoulders bumping together occasionally.

  
Carisi leaned towards Rafael and whispered, “Thank you for doing this.”

  
“It was a pleasure really,” Rafael smiled as he unlocked the car. “I-I’d like to do it again sometime.”

  
“I’m assuming you don’t mean lunch with my family?” Carisi raised an eyebrow in a loose attempt to cover his expression.

  
“You know what they say about assumptions—”

  
“Barba!” Carisi hissed.

  
Rafael couldn’t help the bark of laughter which escaped from him. “I would like to take you out sometime, get to know you better.”

  
“I’d like that too,” Carisi flashed a wicked smile. “But you know what I’d like more?”

  
Before Rafael could answer Carisi swooped down and captured the shorter man’s mouth with his own. Rafael responded by placing one hand on Carisi’s waist and winding the other through the blond man’s thick locks. The kiss ended abruptly when a loud cheer erupted from the other Carisi siblings.

  
Carisi made a highly inappropriate gesture at his sisters before opening car door and ushering Rafael inside. As they pulled away Carisi rested a hand lightly on Rafael’s thigh. “Where to Counselor?”

  
Rafael tried to flash a smirk at the younger man but a genuine smile seemed to form instead. He wasn’t sure where this thing with Carisi was heading, but he couldn’t wait to find out.


End file.
